“Youth Movement” is the new “Kool-aid” in Buffalo

The end of the 2012 season brought a lot of changes to One Bills Drive. The first major change was the announcement by Chan Gailey that the entire coaching staff had been fired. Shortly after, Bills CEO Russ Brandon held a press conference stating that Bills owner Ralph Wilson had relinquished control of the Bills to him. In that press conference, Brandon stated that the Bills image was tarnished, and that he would leave no stone unturned in turning around the Bills organization. Brandon led a week long coaching search before hiring Syracuse Head Coach Doug Marrone.

So, it appears that the “youth movement” is the new kool-aid that is being mixed up at One Bills Drive this year. One thing is for sure, a big change in direction was needed, especially when you look at these horrific stats:
• Last winning season: 2004 (9-7)
• Last playoff game: January 8, 2000 (Currently ranks 1st as the longest drought)
• Last playoff win: December 30, 1995 (Currently ranks as 4th longest drought)
• Last Division title: 1995 (Currently ranks as 3rd longest drought)
• Last AFC Championship game: January 23, 1994 (Currently ranks as 7th longest drought)
• Last Superbowl appearance: January 30, 1994 (Currently ranks as 9th longest drought)
• 21 winning seasons out of 52

Russ Brandon promised he would be aggressive in turning around the Bills. By hiring Doug Marrone, this represents the first time the Bills have hired a coach directly from the college ranks. Marrone has put together a coaching staff that has gotten mixed reviews so far. While Bills fans like the hire of former Jets Defensive Coordinator Mike Pettine, there are concerns with the hires of Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman. Pettine led a very successful Jets defense over the past four years, so fans are excited to see what he can do with the underachieving Bills defense. Hackett is 33 years old and has no NFL experience as an Offensive Coordinator, so those concerns are legitimate. Crossman was the former Special Teams coordinator for the Detroit Lions which ranked at 30th in 2012. That has Bills fans scratching their heads on why Crossman was hired after such a poor showing in Detroit.

One thing all of the new hires and promotion to include Brandon have in common is they’re young compared to the coaches that were previously employed over the years by the Bills. Will the “Youth Movement” actually work, or will we be having this type of conversation in another three to four years? Only time will tell.

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